BIG. HOT TO COLD Book

The Bjarke Ingels Group explores how architects and engineers can alter their concepts to respond to local climate and social needs

As anyone in NYC can attest, new construction in the city has tended toward the unimaginative, with boxy glass and steel condos popping up where elegant, conscious architecture once existed. Danish architect Bjarke Ingels of the eponymous Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) attributes this trend to the lack of consideration of environmental factors and how they can be used to develop a building; depending instead on …

Afghanistan’s “Carved” Cultural Center Design

UNESCO has just revealed the winner of a months-long competition seeking a design for a new cultural center in Afghanistan’s Central Highlands region. The competition was launched by UNESCO along with the Afghan government’s Ministry of Information and Culture after the area’s two giant 17th-century cliff-carvings of Buddha were destroyed by Taliban militants. The winning design by an Argentina-based team elegantly “carves” the cultural center …

Studio Visit: Milan Pekař

The Czech porcelain artist explains how his simple vessels show off the unique qualities of his custom made glazes

Czech designer Milan Pekař has created beautiful objects for many years, working with a humorist style, designing porcelain ship-shaped lamps and vases that look like mini factories. Three years ago, he became an assistant of the porcelain studio at Prague Academy of Arts and Design, led by fellow Czech designer Maxim Velčovský. But Pekař also works on various personal projects—always experimenting with and exploring his …